The Defenseless (22 page)
Authors: Carolyn Arnold
We were going to make it back in time for Christmas after all. The paperwork was still in progress but it would all be sorted out in plenty of time.
We were waiting to board our flight and sitting in an airport lobby designed for passengers of charter aircraft. Sitting there, I had mixed feelings about returning home. I had nothing waiting for me but a finalized divorce.
I glanced over at Paige, who had said very little to me since that night at the bar, and I took the blame for that.
She sat slumped in a chair, wearing the cream sweater from the other night. Her red curls hung down. She must have sensed me watching her. She returned my gaze.
I mouthed
Can I come over
and she nodded.
She had her bag and coat on the seat to her right. I sat in the one to her left.
“It looks like you’ll be home in plenty of time to celebrate.”
She smiled, but there was sadness that lurked in the shadows.
“I will be. I’m happy about that. I think Mom would have killed me if I missed the family dinner.” She paused, picking at her sweater. “What about you? Are you going to be all right?”
Just like Paige, always concerned about my wellbeing.
“Yeah, I’m going to be good. Better than good. Howell’s girlfriend spread the positive attitude.”
Her brows scrunched together, and I told her about the woman who was high on happiness.
“As long as it works for her.” She didn’t look at me when she said that, but ahead and out through the glass to the tarmac.
“About the other night.”
She turned to me.
“No, Brandon, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried about it, but I am sorry.”
She studied my eyes.
“I shouldn’t have let you leave before telling you that I love you too.”
Her chin quivered and her eyes misted.
“I should have told you that a long time ago. I’m just afraid of it.”
“The big, bad Brandon is afraid of love?” She smiled, and I sensed it was to suppress the urge to cry.
“I am afraid of loving you.”
I glanced over at Jack and Zachery who were into some serious conversation, based on the sharp angles of Jack
’s face.
She pulled down on her sweater.
“I know what you mean. We’d risk our careers.”
My insides were tearing apart. It was reminiscent of the day Deb had called me to say our marriage was over. Here, I had another woman I loved, but I had to let her go.
“You fought hard to get where you are,” I said.
“And you’re just starting out.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“A dig at the new kid?”
She laughed and swatted at me.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do.”
“So, what are we going to do about it, about how we feel for each other?”
I heard it in the tone of her voice. Her heart was breaking like mine.
“I think we have to see other people, Paige.” The words, the acknowledgment, sent splinters of pain through my heart.
She didn
’t say anything. Her eyes remained locked with mine. “It’s how it has to be, Brandon.” She swallowed roughly and tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. “It’s for the best.”
“Yeah.”
We both went quiet, unsure of what to say to each other. There really was nothing left to say.
I faced her. “It’s always bad timing with us, isn’t it?”
“Well, the first time you were married.” She smirked and her eyes carried an evil glint. “And now it’s either us or the careers we love.”
“Yep, life stinks.”
She touched my forearm. I wanted to do nothing more than pull her in and take her mouth. To whisk her back to the hotel room and hold her until morning—
“Friends?”
I smiled.
“Always.”
Dear Reader,
As an author I am often asked
why I became a writer. The answer is twofold. Writing is my passion, but also knowing that I can touch people with my words, that I can provide a temporary escape, either from stress or pain, or offer some relaxation and entertainment, that touches me on an immensely spiritual level that nothing else can even come close to. Thank you for letting me into your world.
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Keep shining
Carolyn Arnold
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Overview
The first victim was poisoned. Three others are still missing. One more turns up dead. But there is one connection that ties them all together.
This case has FBI Agent Brandon Fisher and the team in Colorado to stop a serial killer targeting men who beat charges of animal abuse over twenty years ago. With the method of murder changing to match what his victims had allegedly inflicted on the defenseless, the team questions who is on the side of justice—them or the murderer. After all, their unsub is seeking retribution on behalf of the victims who have no voice.
While facing this moral dilemma, Brandon’s integrity to the bureau is also tested. But Brandon is up for the challenge—anything to get his mind off his pending divorce and the upcoming holiday. Being thousands of miles from home, the forbidden relationship between him and Paige becomes more tempting, but is he willing to risk all that he’s worked for?
